H-Hour

Become a Patron of H-Hour at patreon.com/hkpodcasts *****

British Army veterans Bags Simmons (Royal Tank Regiment, Bare Arms TV & Film) and Alex Brockdorff (Queen’s Royal Hussars, actor/director, A24’s Warfare) join Hugh for a loose, birthday-weekend TV & Film special. Instead of war stories, they dissect patron-suggested “top three films” — from The Fifth Element’s world-building and Ronin’s legendary chase sequences to Saving Private Ryan, Goodfellas and The Sting. Along the way: practical stunt rigs, French illegal car films, Children of Men camera tricks, Project Hail Mary’s “Rocky” Easter egg, and why The Godfather still sets the screenwriting bar.  Film nerds will enjoy this chat.

Credits: Guests: Bags Simmons (@bagsdebags) & @alexbrockdorff | Host: @HughKeir | Edited by: @d_fell_ | Recorded at: @barearmsfilm

Send us Fan Mail

This episode is sponsored by Sin Eaters Guild - sineatersguild.co.uk

Support the show

 

• Free H-Hour giveaways and exclusive access to guests. https://patreon.com/hkpodcasts
• H-Hour on Substack: https://hughkeir.substack.com
• H-Hour on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWSj4p05MUbVlHmFu3y
• H-Hour on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HHourPodcast

Become a Patron of H-Hour at patreon.com/hkpodcasts *****
In this H-Hour Icebreaker episode, Lieutenant Commander Jenny Cleary MBE ARRC answers patron-submitted questions in a fast Q&A format that precedes the larger long-form interview. Jenny explains why her MBE feels like “just doing my job” as a ward nurse during COVID, why Chief Petty Officer was the best rank because “chiefs run the Navy”, and why she sees Nigel Farage’s plan to use the Royal Navy to take migrants back to France as unrealistic and the wrong role for the service. She also touches on how military life shapes views on discipline, teamwork, and the pressure on hospitals. Jenny Cleary is a Royal Navy nursing officer with 24 years’ service, now Deputy Officer in Command Nursing at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, and sole director of Essential Property Group Ltd, a Warwickshire buy-to-let and serviced-accommodation business. https://www.instagram.com/essential_property22/

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

 

• Free H-Hour giveaways and exclusive access to guests. https://patreon.com/hkpodcasts
• H-Hour on Substack: https://hughkeir.substack.com
• H-Hour on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWSj4p05MUbVlHmFu3y
• H-Hour on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HHourPodcast

H-Hour on Patreon: https://patreon.com/hkpodcasts

Chris Dodd joins H-Hour for an extended conversation about his years in the British Army and his experiences serving in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. A badged sniper and qualified combat medical technician, Chris describes the demanding sniper course and the combination of shooting, fieldcraft, observation, stalking, route selection and detailed reporting required to qualify. He also explains how the British Army’s operational culture changed as units moved from relatively low-threat deployments into the intense fighting of the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns.

Chris recounts his first kinetic experience as a young soldier in Afghanistan before discussing the 2004 “Hell Train” ambush in Iraq. During a night patrol near Al Amarah and the Danny Boy checkpoint, Chris encountered the aftermath of a devastating attack on a large American logistics and engineering convoy. He describes the burning vehicles, mass casualties and the urgent medical treatment he provided to wounded American soldiers, including casualties suffering catastrophic leg and spinal injuries. The conversation also explores battles around Al Amarah, the build-up to the Battle of Danny Boy, the realities of battlefield medicine, and the psychological impact of dealing with casualties at nineteen years old.

Away from combat, Chris reflects on joining the Army at sixteen, the institutional nature of military life, his medical discharge with service-attributed hearing loss, and his subsequent work in finance, recruitment, maritime security and the Royal British Legion.

Send us Fan Mail

This episode is sponsored by Sin Eaters Guild - sineatersguild.co.uk

Support the show

 

• Free H-Hour giveaways and exclusive access to guests. https://patreon.com/hkpodcasts
• H-Hour on Substack: https://hughkeir.substack.com
• H-Hour on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWSj4p05MUbVlHmFu3y
• H-Hour on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HHourPodcast

H-Hour on Patreon: https://patreon.com/hkpodcasts

In this H-Hour Icebreaker episode, Chris Dodd answers questions submitted by H-Hour patrons in a Q&A format. Topics include whether all infantry should be trained to the higher standards associated with the Parachute Regiment and Royal Marines, the advantages and disadvantages of joining the Army as a boy soldier, and the differing levels of care provided to personnel across the armed forces. Chris also discusses the treatment of captured insurgents, the importance of intelligence exploitation, and Nigel Farage’s proposal to use Marines to return migrants to France. This icebreaker precedes a larger interview in conversation/long-form format, in which Chris discusses his military career and operational experiences in much greater depth.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

 

• Free H-Hour giveaways and exclusive access to guests. https://patreon.com/hkpodcasts
• H-Hour on Substack: https://hughkeir.substack.com
• H-Hour on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWSj4p05MUbVlHmFu3y
• H-Hour on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HHourPodcast

Become a Patron of H-Hour at patreon.com/hkpodcasts ***** Levison Wood returns to H-Hour for his second appearance on the podcast, having first featured in 2019. This expansive conversation covers war, exploration, history, the natural world and the experiences that have shaped his life. The interview begins with Afghanistan and the writing of Escape from Kabul, his co-authored account of the final stages of the 20-year campaign and Operation Pitting, written with Geraint “Gez” Jones. Wood explains how he and Gez gathered testimony from paratroopers, airmen, sailors, diplomats, American special forces, security contractors, United Nations personnel and Taliban representatives to create a multi-perspective historical record of the withdrawal.

Wood reflects on Afghanistan five years after the fall of Kabul, arguing that the Taliban ultimately succeeded because they were prepared to wait while Western governments lacked a clear long-term strategy. He discusses the human consequences of the withdrawal, the fate of interpreters and other Afghans, and his continuing support for a school in northeastern Afghanistan that is still educating girls. The conversation also examines the gap between military achievement and political purpose, and whether the West can ever impose a lasting solution through an open-ended counterinsurgency campaign.

The discussion then moves to Burma and Wood’s personal connection to the Second World War. His grandfather served in Burma with the Royal Welch Fusiliers, and Wood describes meeting a 100-year-old Burmese veteran who had served alongside British forces. During the encounter, he presented the veteran with a Burma medal that had gone unclaimed for 80 years, along with a letter from King Charles. Wood explains why the Burma campaign has been overshadowed by better-known battles in Europe and the Pacific, and how the conflict’s ethnic divisions helped create one of the world’s longest-running civil wars.

Wood also recounts his own extraordinary journey into Burma after leaving 3 PARA, including crossing the Salween River hidden in a rice sack with the Karen National Liberation Army. He discusses his interest in overlooked military history, the possibility of turning Escape from Kabul into a film, and a potential screen project about the Falklands War—one he hopes will explore both the campaign’s military success and its wider political and imperial consequences.

The interview ranges further into Wood’s travels across South America, his fascination with lost civilisations and the archaeological discoveries revealed by LiDAR, and the hidden history of the Amazon. He explains the thinking behind The Great Tree Story, a book that examines humanity’s relationship with forests, from ancient cultures and sacred trees to modern deforestation and the ecological importance of individual trees. He also talks about elephants, conservation, ayahuasca and how psychedelic experiences changed his perspective on nature, creativity and other people.

Along the way, Wood recalls close calls during his time in Afghanistan, including patrols through minefields and an incident in which a Taliban fighter opened fire on his platoon at close range. He discusses the transition from soldier to explorer, the formative effect of hitchhiking through countries including Iraq, Zimbabwe and Bosnia, and the hospitality he received from people who might reasonably have viewed him with suspicion. The episode closes with reflections on media stereotypes, Iran, the countries Wood has visited and the future of his books, documentaries and film projects.

Levison Wood is a former officer of the Parachute Regiment, including 3 PARA, with operational experience in Afghanistan. He is an internationally recognised explorer, bestselling author, photographer and television presenter whose work includes Walking the Nile, Walking the Himalayas, Walking the Americas, Arabia, Walking with Elephants, Escape from Kabul and The Great Tree Story. He is also a UNICEF ambassador and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Send us Fan Mail

This episode is sponsored by Sin Eaters Guild - sineatersguild.co.uk

Support the show

 

• Free H-Hour giveaways and exclusive access to guests. https://patreon.com/hkpodcasts
• H-Hour on Substack: https://hughkeir.substack.com
• H-Hour on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWSj4p05MUbVlHmFu3y
• H-Hour on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HHourPodcast

Become a Patron of H-Hour at patreon.com/hkpodcasts ***** In this H-Hour Icebreaker episode, Levison Wood answers questions submitted by H-Hour platinum patrons in a short Q&A format. Wood discusses what it was like to command a platoon in 3 PARA after commissioning through Sandhurst, including the challenge of earning the trust of experienced paratroopers returning from Afghanistan.

The conversation also explores Wood’s work as a UNICEF ambassador and the harm suffered by children in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as his views on Bear Grylls and the value of adventure television in encouraging people to spend more time outdoors. Wood reflects on the death of his friend Nims Purja, the limits of acceptable risk, and why motor vehicles may pose a greater danger on expeditions than snakes, polar bears or armed groups. He also recounts travelling through Syria and Iraq during the war against ISIS, including a journey across front lines on an Iranian-backed militia tank.

Levison Wood is an explorer, writer, photographer and documentary-maker who has travelled in more than 100 countries. He served as an officer in the elite British Army Parachute Regiment, including with 3 PARA and on operations in Afghanistan, before becoming known for television series and books including Walking the Nile, Walking the Himalayas, Walking the Americas, The Last Giants and Escape from Kabul. He is also a UNICEF ambassador.

This icebreaker precedes the full-length interview in a conversation/long-form format.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

 

• Free H-Hour giveaways and exclusive access to guests. https://patreon.com/hkpodcasts
• H-Hour on Substack: https://hughkeir.substack.com
• H-Hour on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWSj4p05MUbVlHmFu3y
• H-Hour on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HHourPodcast

Dean Stott MBE returns to H‑Hour for a long‑form sit‑rep on life after the Special Boat Service. We dig into evacuations in Israel and beyond, the “ground truth” versus the media monster, the reality of being PNG’d by MOD, and why outdated secrecy policies are still shaping the lives of ex‑SF operators. Dean talks surfing and fighting at 49, cycling 14,000 miles, celebrity routes for ex-SF, and how he thinks about risk, family and doing things “the European way” in an American healthcare system. If you haven’t heard the icebreaker, start there for the backstory – then come here for what happened next.

Instagram: instagram.com/deanstott

X: x.com/DeanStottSBS

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dean-stott-mbe-24725880

Website: deanstott.com

If you want more conversations like this, where we dig into evacuations, PNG decisions and the reality of life after Tier 1 service, get behind H‑Hour on Patreon at patreon.com/hkpodcasts. Patrons see the guest list early, shape the icebreaker episodes with their own questions, and get access to private Q&A calls – including the one we’re lining up with Dean Stott MBE.

Send us Fan Mail

This episode is sponsored by Sin Eaters Guild - sineatersguild.co.uk

Support the show

 

• Free H-Hour giveaways and exclusive access to guests. https://patreon.com/hkpodcasts
• H-Hour on Substack: https://hughkeir.substack.com
• H-Hour on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWSj4p05MUbVlHmFu3y
• H-Hour on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HHourPodcast

This 20‑minute icebreaker with Dean Stott MBE warms you up for the full H‑Hour conversation in Episode 289. Patron‑submitted questions go straight for the deep end: lizards and BBC war‑crime allegations, SAS/SBS selection myths, resilience in chaos, jungle weapon safety, and whether “good enough” is ever actually good enough. It’s short, sharp and a bit spicy, and it rolls directly into the main episode – so let your app autoplay into #289 for the full sit‑rep on Dean’s life after Tier 1.

You can follow Dean on Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and via deanstott.com. To submit your own questions for future icebreakers and get early access to guest lists and live Q&As, support H‑Hour on Patreon at patreon.com/hkpodcasts.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

 

• Free H-Hour giveaways and exclusive access to guests. https://patreon.com/hkpodcasts
• H-Hour on Substack: https://hughkeir.substack.com
• H-Hour on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWSj4p05MUbVlHmFu3y
• H-Hour on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HHourPodcast

What happens when your “office” is a helicopter and your job is to bring an emergency room to the streets of London in under seven minutes? In this episode I sit down with Adele Dobler, a helicopter air ambulance pilot with London’s Air Ambulance, to unpack what it really takes to fly lifesaving missions over one of the world’s busiest cities.

We get into how Adele went from dreaming about helicopters to strapping into the left‑hand seat, what it’s like to land on tower blocks and motorways, and how the aircraft becomes a mobile resus room when someone is having the worst day of their life. We talk decision‑making under pressure, managing fear, and the reality of carrying a team and a patient’s chances on your shoulders at 1,000 feet.

Adele also shares lessons from her book “Free to Fly: Lessons in Managing Workplace Fear From an Air Ambulance Pilot” – how to lead when everyone’s looking at you, why “imposter syndrome” can become an unhelpful identity, and practical ways to show up as yourself in high‑consequence environments.

If you enjoy this conversation and want to support H‑Hour and help me keep these episodes coming, you can back the show on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/hkpodcasts. Patrons get access to bonus Q&As (including the Adele icebreaker episode), early releases, and the chance to submit questions for future guests.

Follow and support Adele:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adele_the_heli_pilot/

Book – “Free to Fly: Lessons in Managing Workplace Fear From an Air Ambulance Pilot”: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Free-Fly-Managing-Workplace-Ambulance/dp/B0B5PYSWLN/

Send us Fan Mail

This episode is sponsored by Sin Eaters Guild - sineatersguild.co.uk

Support the show

 

• Free H-Hour giveaways and exclusive access to guests. https://patreon.com/hkpodcasts
• H-Hour on Substack: https://hughkeir.substack.com
• H-Hour on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWSj4p05MUbVlHmFu3y
• H-Hour on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HHourPodcast

Join the H-Hour Patron Community at patreon.com/hkpodcasts***** For this Icebreaker with helicopter pilot and author Adele Dobler, I put patron questions to her about arriving on people’s worst days, fear, and decision-making under pressure before rolling into the full episode. She explains how she compartmentalises trauma on London’s highest-priority trauma jobs, separating “keeping the aircraft and crew safe” from the emotional weight of what’s happened on the ground, and why she sees that as protective but possibly “not the healthiest” long term. We talk near‑death experiences and “bonus time,” how almost dying in a car roll at 19 changed her attitude to regret, and why she thinks the key is committing fully rather than half‑stepping decisions. Adele compares confidence to building calluses, argues against imposter syndrome, breaks down when to act fast versus when to slow down in the cockpit, and gets into how fear should be managed rather than removed, from diving boards and public speaking to skydiving. She also tackles gendered reactions to a “lady pilot,” lack of default trust, and why women’s negative comments often reflect their own constrained sense of what’s possible, before we sign off and roll straight into the long‑form conversation.

Adele's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/adele_the_heli_pilot/
Adele's Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Free-Fly-Managing-Workplace-Ambulance/dp/B0B5PYSWLN/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.G_wIYgzGcR7dhCvsBJvBvT8aUANnqWODWx9tUlfiRALGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.DEWUPd4ANKLA8d30-J18CgttBr5ad04JcTGgC57iJD0&dib_tag=se&keywords=adele+dobler&qid=1782069703&sr=8-1

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

 

• Free H-Hour giveaways and exclusive access to guests. https://patreon.com/hkpodcasts
• H-Hour on Substack: https://hughkeir.substack.com
• H-Hour on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWSj4p05MUbVlHmFu3y
• H-Hour on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HHourPodcast